System, method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a technology that enables ordering of consumables used in a printing device registered in a system by voice instructions.SOLUTION: In a system, at least one server includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information on a remaining quantity of consumables of a printing device at a specific timing not in response to a voice inquiry from a user; and control means that controls, on the basis of the information on the remaining quantity of the consumables of the printing device acquired by the acquisition means, when a predetermined condition corresponding to the remaining quantity of the consumables of the printing device being low is satisfied, to transmit predetermined information for making a specific notification corresponding to the remaining quantity of the consumables of the printing device being low to a voice device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a method, a program, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a voice control system that controls a printing device by voice. Patent Document 1 describes a technology that allows a user to specify print settings, such as paper size settings, by voice during the printing process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-95984 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes how a user can change print settings or give voice instructions for printing, but makes no mention of ordering consumables to be used in printing devices registered in the system.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables ordering of consumables to be used in a printing device registered in a system by voice instruction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the system of the present invention is a system that includes at least one server, is capable of acquiring information about a printing device, and is capable of communicating with an audio device, and is characterized in that the at least one server is equipped with an acquisition means for acquiring information about remaining amounts of consumables of the printing device at a specific timing not based on a user's voice inquiry, and a control means for controlling the transmission of specified information to the audio device when specified conditions corresponding to low remaining amounts of consumables of the printing device are met based on the information about remaining amounts of consumables of the printing device acquired by the acquisition means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to order consumables to be used in a printing device registered in the system by voice instruction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a consumables management system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a terminal device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the audio device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing consumables information stored in a consumables management server. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing consumable information stored in a printing device management server. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence for enabling mutual access between servers. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence of a process for registering a target printing device. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for transmitting remaining ink amount information in a printing device management server. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the remaining amount of ink in a consumables management server. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a sequence up to instructing a consumables management server to place an order. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for deleting information about a printing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a consumables management system in this embodiment. The consumables management system in this embodiment is configured to include a terminal device 101, a consumables management server 102, an audio device management server 103, an audio device 104, a printing device management server 105, and a printing device 106. Note that, although FIG. 1 shows one each of the audio device 103, the terminal device 101, and the printing device 106, in this embodiment, a plurality of each may be provided. In other words, a plurality of terminal devices 101 and a plurality of audio devices 104 may be configured to be able to communicate with the audio device management server 103. Also, a plurality of printing devices 106 may be configured to be able to communicate with the printing device management server 106.

[0011] The terminal device 101 is, for example, any information processing device such as a smartphone, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The audio device 104 is, for example, a smart speaker. The printing device 106 is a printer that forms (prints) an image on a recording medium such as printing paper by ejecting a recording agent such as ink onto the recording medium. The printing device 106 may be a multifunctional printer (MFP) that integrally comprises multiple functions such as a copying function, a FAX function, and a printing function. In this embodiment, the printing device 106 is a device that performs printing by an inkjet recording method, but is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a device that performs printing by an electrophotographic method or a thermal dye sublimation method.

[0012] The terminal device 101 can communicate with the consumables management server 102 via a network such as the Internet. The terminal device 101 and the audio device 104 can also communicate with the audio device management server 103 via a network such as the Internet. The audio device management server 103 is a server that provides a voice control service that realizes a voice call interface with a user, and manages the audio device 104 in association with the terminal device 101. In other words, information on a plurality of audio devices 104 is registered in the audio device management server 103, and each audio device 104 is associated with information on one of the terminal devices 101 and user information for the audio control service.

[0013] The printing device 106 can communicate with the printing device management server 105 via a network such as the Internet. The printing device management server 105 is a server that provides a printing device management service that manages the printing devices 106 of each user registered in the printing device management server 105. In other words, information on multiple printing devices 106 is registered in the printing device management server 105 in association with user information. The printing device management server 105, for example, acquires remaining amount information of consumables of the printing devices and manages the operating status of the printing devices.

[0014] The consumables management server 102 is a server that performs order processing to sales sites (sales companies) that handle consumables such as ink cartridges, in response to instructions from the audio device management server 103.

[0015] In this embodiment, the terminal device 101, the audio device 104, and the printing device 106 are not limited in the form as long as they can be connected to the Internet, and may be connected, for example, via an access point (not shown). Note that the terminal device 101, the audio device 104, and the printing device 106 may be connected to a local network by an access point (not shown), thereby enabling them to communicate with each other. Furthermore, the network segments of the terminal device 101, the audio device 104, and the printing device 106 may be different from each other.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the terminal device 101. The terminal device 101 includes an input interface 201, a CPU 202, a ROM 203, a display unit 204, a RAM 205, an external storage device 206, a communication unit 207, and a short-range wireless communication unit 208. The above blocks are connected to each other via, for example, an internal bus 209. In addition, in the configuration of Fig. 2, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks.

[0017] The CPU 202 is a system control unit, and is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 101. The RAM 205 is, for example, configured with an SRAM (Static RAM) that requires a backup power source. Since the RAM 205 holds data by a primary battery for data backup (not shown), data such as program control variables can be stored without volatilization. The RAM 205 has a memory area for storing setting information and management data of the terminal device 101. The RAM 205 is used as a main memory and a work memory for the CPU 202. The ROM 203 stores fixed data such as a control program executed by the CPU 202, a data table, and an OS program. In the present embodiment, an application program (audio control application) for controlling the audio device 104 is installed in the terminal device 101 and stored in the ROM 203. The operation of the terminal device 101 in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 202 reading a program stored in the ROM 203 into the RAM 205 and executing it.

[0018] The display unit 204 includes, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays a screen based on various display data. The display unit 204 may be configured as, for example, a touch display, and thus have a function of accepting various input operations from a user. In other words, the display unit 204 is an interface for accepting data input and operation instructions from a user, and may be configured as an operation panel including a physical keyboard, buttons, a touch panel, and the like.

[0019] The communication unit 207 includes a circuit and an antenna for performing communication according to a predetermined wireless communication method. For example, the communication unit 207 can wirelessly connect to an external access point. The communication unit 207 may operate as an access point that is used temporarily. The communication unit 207 may operate according to a wireless communication method (Wi-Fi) of a wireless LAN conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard series, or may operate according to another wireless communication method. The short-range wireless communication unit 208 executes short-range wireless communication with another device existing within a certain short-range range from the terminal device 101. The short-range wireless communication unit 208 communicates according to a wireless communication method different from that of the communication unit 207. For example, the short-range wireless communication unit 208 operates according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0020] The terminal device 101 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may include blocks according to the functions that the terminal device 101 can execute, as appropriate.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the audio device 104. The audio device 104 includes a speaker 301, a CPU 302, a ROM 303, a microphone 304, a RAM 305, an external storage device 306, a communication unit 307, and a short-range wireless communication unit 308. The above blocks are connected to each other via an internal bus 309, for example. In the configuration of Fig. 3, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks.

[0022] The speaker 301 outputs sound. The CPU 302 is a system control unit, and is a processor that controls the entire audio device 104. The ROM 303 stores various data and programs, such as a control program and a data table executed by the CPU 302, and an embedded OS (Operating System) program. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 303 is subject to software execution control, such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing, under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 303. The operation of the audio device 104 in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 302 reading out the program stored in the ROM 303 into the RAM 305 and executing it. The microphone 304 receives sound around the audio control device 104. For example, the microphone 304 receives a voice uttered by a user. The RAM 305 is, for example, composed of a DRAM (Dynamic RAM) that requires a backup power source. The RAM 305 is used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 302. The external storage device 306 stores application software.

[0023] The communication unit 307 includes a circuit and an antenna for performing communication according to a predetermined wireless communication method. For example, the communication unit 307 can wirelessly connect to an external access point. The communication unit 307 may operate as an access point that is used temporarily. The communication unit 307 may operate according to a wireless communication method (Wi-Fi) of a wireless LAN that complies with the IEEE802.11 standard series, or may operate according to another wireless communication method. The short-range wireless communication unit 308 executes short-range wireless communication with the audio device 104 and other devices that exist within a certain short-range range. The short-range wireless communication unit 308 communicates according to a wireless communication method different from that of the communication unit 307. For example, the short-range wireless communication unit 308 operates according to the Bluetooth standard.

[0024] The audio device 104 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may include blocks according to the functions that the audio device 104 can execute.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 106. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the printing device 106 is configured as a multifunction peripheral. In the printing device 106, the printing function is realized by a printer unit 401. Also, the scanner function is realized by a scanner unit 402, and the storage function is realized by a memory card mounting unit 403 and a memory card 404.

[0026] The printer unit 401 executes printing based on, for example, image data received from an external source or image data stored in a memory card 404. The printer unit 401 also stores consumable information such as ink information such as the remaining amount of ink and paper information such as the remaining amount of paper. The printing device 106 transmits the status information of the printing device such as the remaining amount of ink to the printing device management server 105. The scanner unit 402 optically reads an original set on a platen (not shown) and converts it into electronic data, and further converts it into a specified file format to generate image data. The scanner unit 402 then transmits the generated image data to an external device via a network, or stores it in a storage area such as a HDD (not shown). In the printing device 106, the copy function is realized by the scanner unit 402 reading an original set on the platen and transferring the generated image data to the printer unit 401, and the printer unit 401 printing an image based on the image data on a printing paper.

[0027] Various file data are stored in memory card 404 inserted in memory card insertion section 403. The file data can be read and edited from an external device via a network. Also, the file data can be stored in memory card 404 from an external device via the network.

[0028] Furthermore, the printing device 106 includes a CPU 405, a program memory 406, a work memory 407, a display unit 408, an operation unit 409, a network communication unit 410, a network connection unit 411, and a flash memory 412. The CPU 405 is a processor for controlling each unit in the printing device 106 in an integrated manner. The program memory 406 is composed of a ROM or the like, and stores various program codes and an application 414 for communicating with the printing device management server 105. The application 414 accesses the printer unit 401 to obtain consumable information such as ink information and paper information. The work memory 407 is composed of a RAM or the like, and temporarily stores or buffers image data when each service is executed. The operation of the printing device 106 in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 405 reading a program stored in the program memory 406 into the work memory 407 and executing it.

[0029] The display unit 408 includes, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays a screen based on various display data. The operation unit 409 includes a switch for a user to perform various input operations. The network communication unit 410 is connected to a network such as the Internet via a network connection unit 411, and performs various communications. The network communication unit 410 has a configuration corresponding to a network medium, and can perform communications by, for example, a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. For example, when the network communication unit 410 supports a wired LAN, the network connection unit 411 is a connector for connecting a cable of the wired LAN. When the network communication unit 410 supports a wireless LAN, the network connection unit 411 is an antenna. The network connection unit 411 may support both the wired LAN and the wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the network communication unit 410 supports, for example, a wireless LAN, and can connect to an access point according to a wireless communication method of the wireless LAN that complies with the IEEE802.11 standard series. The flash memory 412 is a non-volatile memory for storing image data received by the network communication unit 410 and the like.

[0030] The above-mentioned blocks are connected to each other, for example, via a bus 413. In addition, in the configuration of Fig. 4, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks. The printing device 106 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4, and may include blocks according to the functions that the printing device 106 can execute, as appropriate.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the consumables management server 102, the audio device management server 103, and the printing device management server 105. In this embodiment, each server is described as having the configuration shown in FIG. 5 in common. However, the configuration may differ between the servers depending on the function of each server. In this example, each of the consumables management server 102, the audio device management server 103, and the printing device management server 105 is described as being composed of one server device (information processing device). However, the server of this embodiment may realize the function of each server by multiple server devices operating in cooperation with each other. In this disclosure, both a configuration composed of one server device and a configuration composed of multiple server devices are described as a "server."

[0032] The CPU 501 is a processor for controlling the entire device in which it is mounted. The disk device 502 stores various files, as well as an application program 512, a database 513, and an OS that the CPU 501 reads and executes. The external medium reading device 503 can read information such as files stored in an external storage medium such as an SD card. The memory 504 is composed of a RAM or the like, and is used, for example, for temporary storage and buffering of data by the CPU 501. The operation of each server in this embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 501 of each server reading a program stored in the disk device 502 into the memory 504 and executing it.

[0033] The display unit 505 includes, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) and an LCD (liquid crystal display), and displays a screen based on various display data. The operation unit 506 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse for a user to perform various input operations. The network communication unit 507 is connected to a network such as the Internet via a network connection unit 508, and performs various communications. The network communication unit 507 has a configuration corresponding to the medium of the network, and can perform communications by, for example, a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. For example, when the network communication unit 507 supports a wired LAN, the network connection unit 508 is a connector for connecting a cable of the wired LAN. When the network communication unit 507 supports a wireless LAN, the network connection unit 508 is an antenna. The network connection unit 508 may support both the wired LAN and the wireless LAN. The USB communication unit 510 (Universal Serial Bus) is connected to various peripheral devices via a USB connection unit 511, and can perform various communications according to the USB standard.

[0034] The above-mentioned blocks are connected to each other, for example, via a bus 509. In addition, in the configuration of Fig. 5, a plurality of blocks may be configured as one block, or one block may be divided into two or more blocks. Each of the consumables management server 102, the audio device management server 103, and the printing device management server 105 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 5, and may include blocks according to the functions that each server can execute, as appropriate.

[0035] In the database 513, databases corresponding to the consumables management server 102, the audio device management server 103, and the printing device management server 105 are constructed. In the consumables management server 102, databases corresponding to each consumable as shown in FIG. 6 described later are constructed. In the audio device management server 103, a database is constructed in which authentication information (first authentication information) for accessing the printing device management server 105, information on the terminal device 101, login user information of the audio control service provided by the audio device management server 103, information on the audio device 104, and information on the printing device 106 are associated with each other. In the printing device management server 105, a database is constructed in which authentication information (second authentication information) for accessing the consumables management server 102, login user information of the printing device management server 105, and information on the printing device 106 corresponding to the login user are associated with each other. Furthermore, the first authentication information stored in the database of the audio device management server 103 is information issued by the printing device management server 105, and it is preferable that the printing device management server 105 also stores this issued first authentication information in its database. In this embodiment, a voice ordering system (consumables management system) for printing device consumables managed by the printing device management system is realized by constructing the above-mentioned databases in each server. Hereinafter, a user registered in the printing device management system provided by the printing device management server 105 may be particularly referred to as a logged-in user. In this embodiment, the logged-in user corresponds to a user of the audio device 104 and the terminal device 101.

[0036] [Pre-registration process] In the consumables management system of this embodiment, when the remaining amount of a consumable in the printing device 106 falls below a threshold, a voice notification is given to the user. Then, the user can order the consumables by voice by responding to the notification. In this embodiment, ink cartridges are described as an example of a consumable for the printing device 106. However, other consumables may be used, for example, copy paper may be used as a consumable for the printing device 106. Also, in this embodiment, a case of reordering will be described in order to explain an example of ordering from a sales company that has already ordered consumables.

[0037] An administrator of the consumables management system registers consumables information of the printing device 106 in advance in the consumables management server 102. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information registered in database 513 of the consumables management server 102. Consumables information 600 includes items 601 to 605. Item 601 indicates an order ID, which is a value uniquely assigned to each ink cartridge mounting portion of the printing device 106. Item 602 indicates the ink color, and item 603 indicates the product code of the ink cartridge. Furthermore, item 605 indicates the model name of the printing device 106.

[0038] For example, FIG. 6 shows order ID / color / product code information for each of the ink cartridges, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, that can be mounted on the printing device 106 with the model name "AAAA". That is, the printing device 106 with the model name "AAAA" is a printing device that can mount ink tanks for four colors. Also, FIG. 6 shows order ID / color / product code information for each of the ink cartridges, pigment black, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, and gray, that can be mounted on the printing device 106 with the model name "BBBB". That is, the printing device 106 with the model name "BBBB" is a printing device that can mount ink tanks for six colors. Note that the ink cartridge mounting portion of the printing device 106 includes models that can mount standard-capacity ink tanks and large-capacity ink tanks, and in such cases, multiple product codes can be registered for the same order ID.

[0039] Item 604 indicates a threshold value for determining whether the remaining ink level in the ink tank in the portion of the printing device 106 where the ink cartridge is installed is low, and is set for each order ID. In FIG. 6, a percentage of the maximum capacity is used as the unit of the threshold value, but other units may be used as long as they are an index of the remaining ink level. For example, volume (milliliters, etc.) may be used as the unit of the threshold value. In this embodiment, since a threshold value is set for each order ID, for example, the threshold value for black ink, which is consumed more, may be set higher than the threshold values ​​for other colors of ink, allowing for earlier reorder processing.

[0040] 6, which is registered in advance in the consumables management server 102 by an administrator of the consumables management system, is also registered in the database 513 of the printing device management server 105. In this case, the registered data format may be different as long as the corresponding relationship between the printing device 106 and the order ID in the consumables information 600 is maintained.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information registered in the printing device management server 105. The consumables information 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes items 701 to 703. Item 701 indicates a model name, which corresponds to the model name of item 605 in FIG. 6. Item 703 indicates an order ID list. As shown in FIG. 7, the order ID list lists order IDs corresponding to the model names of item 605 in FIG. 6. The consumables information 700 may include information that is not included in the consumables information 600, and in this embodiment, the consumables information 700 includes information of item 702. Item 702 indicates information on the destination of ink. Note that the information on the destination of ink is information indicating the sales area (country or region) of the ink cartridge. Based on the information on the destination of ink, the printing device management server 105 determines, for example, whether the ink cartridge installed in the printing device 106 can be ordered in this consumables management system.

[0042] [Authentication information registration process] 8 is a diagram showing a sequence for enabling mutual access between the audio device management server 103, the consumables management server 102, and the printing device management server 105. First, a user executes a process for acquiring first authentication information required when accessing the printing device management server 105 from the audio device management server 103, using the terminal device 101 that is previously associated with the audio device 104 in the audio control system. That is, the terminal device 101 requests the audio device management server 103 to acquire authorization from the printing device management server 105 based on a user instruction (S801). The user instruction for this authorization request may be executed on a screen provided by a local application installed in the terminal device 101, or may be executed on a screen of a web page provided by the audio device management server 103 via a web browser.

[0043] When the audio device management server 103 receives an authorization request from the terminal device 101 to the printing device management server 105, it transmits an authorization request to the authorization endpoint of the printing device management server 105 (S802). The printing device management server 105, which has received the authorization request, transmits authentication screen data for authentication to the terminal device 101 specified in the authorization request (S803). When the terminal device 101 receives the authentication screen data from the printing device management server 105, it displays the authentication screen on the display unit 204.

[0044] The user inputs the user's own authentication information registered in the printing device management server 105 on the authentication screen displayed on the display unit 204 of the terminal device 101. After inputting the authentication information, the terminal device 101 transmits the input authentication information to the printing device management server 105 (S804). By transmitting this authentication information, the authorization request is approved. As the authentication information, for example, a user ID and password registered in advance for logging in to the printing device management service of the printing device management server 105 are transmitted.

[0045] The printing device management server 105 verifies the authentication information sent from the terminal device 101. If the authentication is successful as a result of the verification, the printing device management server 105 transmits a first authorization code to the audio device management server 103 (S805). The audio device management server 103 transmits the authorization code received in S805 to the token end point of the printing device management server 105 (S806). When the printing device management server 105 receives the authorization code in S806, it issues first authentication information to the audio device management server 103 (S807). The first authentication information is information necessary for the audio device management server 103 to access the printing device management server 105, such as an access token or a refresh token. When the audio device management server 103 receives the first authentication information in S807, it stores the first authentication information in the database 513 in association with information on the terminal device 101 and the audio device 104 (S808).

[0046] Next, a process is executed to obtain second authentication information required for the printing device management server 105 to access the consumables management server 102. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the voice device management server 103 and the consumables management server 102 can be used with common authentication information. Therefore, when the voice device management server 103 becomes accessible to the printing device management server 105, instead of transmitting an authorization code from the consumables management server 102 to the printing device management server 105, the voice device management server 103 transmits the authorization code to the printing device management server 105. In other words, after saving the first authentication information in S808, the voice device management server 103 transmits the second authorization code to the printing device management server 105 (S809).

[0047] The printing device management server 105 transmits the second authorization code received from the audio device management server 103 to the consumables management server 102 (S810). When the authorization process is normally completed in the consumables management server 102, the consumables management server 102 issues and transmits second authentication information to the printing device management server 105 (S811). The second authentication information is authentication information required to access the consumables management server 102. The printing device management server 105 stores the second authentication information transmitted from the consumables management server 102 in S811 in the database 513 in association with the first authentication information and information on the login user of the printing device management server 105 (S812). The information on the login user is, for example, the user ID and password transmitted in S804. That is, in the database 513 of the printing device management server 105, the first authentication information, the second authentication information, the login user information, and information on the printing device 106 corresponding to the login user are associated with each other.

[0048] As a result of the above, the audio device management server 103 is able to access the printing device management server 105 using the first authentication information, and the printing device management server 105 is able to access the consumables management server 102 using the second authentication information.

[0049] [Registering a printing device to the audio device management server 103] Next, the process of registering a printing device in the audio device management server 103 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9(a) is a sequence diagram showing the process of newly registering a printing device that cooperates with the audio device management server 103 in the audio device management server 103. The process of FIG. 9(a) is performed after the first authentication information is stored in the database 513 in S808. The audio device management server 103 uses the first authentication information to inquire about printing devices registered in the printing device management server 105 (S901). The printing device management server 105 identifies the login user of the printing device management server 105 based on the first authentication information sent from the audio device management server 103. In other words, it identifies the logged-in user account. Then, the printing device management server 105 acquires information on the target printing device 106 that is registered in association with the identified login user (S902).

[0050] Here, the target printing device 106 is a printing device that is associated with a login user of the printing device management server 105 and registered in the printing device management server 105, and that is registered as a printing device that will actually be used in the services of the printing device management server 105. Therefore, when multiple printing devices are registered in the printing device management server 105, it is preferable to obtain information on a printing device that is registered as a printing device to be used in the services of the printing device management server 105. The information on the target printing device 106 obtained in S902 includes identification information of the printing device, such as a serial ID, the model name of the printing device, and destination information for consumables used in the printing device.

[0051] In this embodiment, basically, the target printing device registered in the printing device management server 105 is the printing device to be linked with the audio device management server 103. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the printing device to be linked with the audio device management server 103 is the same as the printing device to be registered in this consumables management system. Therefore, it is preferable to determine whether the target printing device registered in the printing device management server 105 is a model supported by the consumables management service of this embodiment. That is, in S902, it is preferable to determine whether the target printing device is a model supported by the consumables management service, and if it is determined to be a supported model, information on the target printing device is acquired. If it is determined to be an unsupported model, information on the target printing device is not acquired.

[0052] As described above, there may be cases where multiple printing devices owned by one logged-in user can be registered in the printing device management server 105. For example, it is conceivable that one user registers 10 or more printing devices in the printing device management server 105. In such a case, if the printing device management server 105 attempts to acquire information on all of those printing devices 106, there is a possibility that a timeout will occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, the printing device management server 105 sets one of the multiple printing devices 106 corresponding to the logged-in user as the target printing device 106. Then, information on the set target printing device is acquired. However, if there is no problem with timeout, multiple target printing devices 106 may be registered. The selection of the target printing device 106 may be performed, for example, by a setting operation of the logged-in user of the printing device management server 105. Alternatively, information on the multiple printing devices 106 registered in the printing device management server 105 may be acquired collectively as information on the target printing device 106 within a range that can be acquired, such as within a timeout time.

[0053] Here, if the target printing device 106 is already registered with another service that automatically orders consumables, registering it with the consumables management system of this embodiment may result in duplicate ink cartridges being ordered, contrary to the user's intention. Therefore, in this embodiment, in S903, the printing device management server 105 determines whether the target printing device 106 is registered with another consumables ordering system, based on the registration history of each printing device 106, etc. Note that the other consumables ordering system in this example is a service that obtains remaining amount information of consumables from the printing device management server 105, similar to the consumables ordering system of this embodiment.

[0054] If it is determined that the printing device 106 is not registered in another consumables ordering system, the printing device management server 105 determines that the acquired information of the target printing device 106 is to be sent to the audio device management server 103 in S904 in the following stage. On the other hand, if it is determined that the printing device 106 is registered in another consumables ordering system, the printing device management server 105 determines that the acquired information of the target printing device 106 is not to be sent to the audio device management server 103 in S904 in the following stage. In this embodiment, by providing such a determination configuration, it is possible to prevent duplicate orders of consumables. In other words, it is possible to prevent duplicate orders from being placed for two or more services based on the remaining amount information of the same consumables acquired from the same printing device management server 105. In S903, the following determination is further made. The printing device management server 105 compares the acquired information of the target printing device 106 with the consumables information 700 in FIG. 7. Then, the printing device management server 105 determines whether the model name and ink specification information of the acquired target printing device 106 match the consumables information 700 in FIG. 7. If it is determined that there is a match, the printing device management server 105 determines that the acquired information of the target printing device 106 is to be sent to the audio device management server 103 in S904 at a later stage. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no match, the printing device management server 105 determines that the acquired information of the target printing device 106 is not to be sent to the audio device management server 103 in S904 at a later stage.

[0055] Thus, in this embodiment, in response to an inquiry from the audio device management server 103, the printing device management server 105 acquires information about the printing device 106 corresponding to the logged-in user of the printing device management server 105. Then, based on the acquired information, it executes a determination as to whether the information has already been registered in another consumables ordering system, and whether it matches pre-stored consumables information 700. Then, based on the result of this determination, it is determined whether the information should be a transmission target in response to the inquiry from the audio device management server 103.

[0056] The printing device management server 105 transmits to the audio device management server 103 the serial ID and corresponding order ID list of the printing device 106 that was determined to be the target of transmission in response to the inquiry from the audio device management server 103 (S904). On the other hand, if it was determined that the printing device 106 is not the target of transmission in response to the inquiry from the audio device management server 103, the printing device management server 105 does not transmit the above-mentioned serial ID and corresponding order ID list. If there is no serial ID and corresponding order ID list to transmit, the printing device management server 105 transmits information indicating that there is no target printing device 106 to be registered with the audio device management server 103.

[0057] The audio device management server 103 receives and stores the serial ID of the target printing device 106 and the corresponding order ID list sent from the printing device management server 105 (S905). In S905, the audio device management server 103 associates information about the terminal device 101 and the audio device 104, the first authentication information, the serial ID of the target printing device 106, and the corresponding order ID list in the database 513. This may be performed as an update of the information stored in the database 513 in S808. By the process of FIG. 9(a), the information about the terminal device 101, the information about the audio device 104, the first authentication information, and the information about the target printing device 106 are associated in the database 513 of the audio device management server 103.

[0058] 9B is a sequence diagram showing the process of registering the changed target printing device 106 in the audio device management server 103. As shown in FIG.

[0059] In cases where a logged-in user has registered multiple printing devices 106 in the printing device management server 105, the user may change the target printing device 106 in the printing device management server 105. In this case, the printing device management server 105 acquires information about the changed target printing device 106 (S911). Then, similar to S903, the printing device management server 105 determines based on the acquired information about the target printing device 106 whether it has already been registered in another consumables ordering system or whether it matches the consumables information 700 (S912). Then, based on the result of this determination, it decides whether to make it a target for transmission to the audio device management server 103.

[0060] The printing device management server 105 transmits the serial ID of the printing device 106 determined to be the target for transmission and the corresponding order ID list to the audio device management server 103, as in S904 (S913). Then, the audio device management server 103 receives the serial ID of the printing device 106 and the corresponding order ID list transmitted from the printing device management server 105, as in S905, and stores them in a database (S914). This updates the information in the database 513 stored in S905.

[0061] In this manner, in this embodiment, when a logged-in user of the printing device management server 103 changes the target printing device 106 from among multiple printing devices, the change can be reflected in the audio device management server 103.

[0062] [Transmission process of remaining ink information] Next, a process in which the printing device management server 105 transmits remaining ink information acquired from the printing device 106 to the consumables management server 102 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0063] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the process in which the printing device management server 105 transmits remaining ink information acquired from the printing device 106 to the consumables management server 102. The process in Fig. 10 is realized, for example, by the CPU 501 of the printing device management server 105 executing a program. The process in Fig. 10 may be started, for example, when a print process is executed by the printing device 106, when the printing device management server 105 acquires the remaining ink amount from the printing device 106, or at a predetermined time.

[0064] CPU 501 determines whether remaining ink level information has been received from printing device 106 (S1001). The process of S1001 is repeated until it is determined that remaining ink level information has been received. The remaining ink level information received from printing device 106 includes the serial ID of printing device 106. If it is determined that remaining ink level information has been received, CPU 501 refers to database 513 based on the serial ID of printing device 106 included in the remaining ink level information, and acquires the login user information saved in S812 (S1002).

[0065] Then, the CPU 501 determines whether or not there is second authentication information corresponding to the login user information acquired in S1002 (S1003). If it is determined that there is second authentication information, the CPU 501 uses the second authentication information to transmit the serial ID received from the printing device 106 and the remaining ink amount information for each order ID corresponding to the serial ID to the consumables management server 102 (S1004). Then, the process of FIG. 10 ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1003 that there is no second authentication information (S1003), the printing device 106 is not registered in the audio device management server 103, so the process of FIG. 10 ends without transmitting to the consumables management server 102.

[0066] In this manner, in this embodiment, the printing device management server 105 can perform control so that remaining ink information of a printing device 106 that is not registered in the audio device management server 103 is not sent to the consumables management server 102 .

[0067] [Ink level notification determination process] Next, the process flow in which the consumables management server 102 receives remaining ink level information from the printing device management server 105, determines the remaining ink level, and transmits the remaining ink level information to the audio device management server 103 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0068] 11 is a flowchart showing a process in which the consumables management server 102, which has received remaining ink level information from the printing device management server 105, determines the remaining ink level and transmits the remaining ink level information to the audio device management server 103. The process in FIG. 11 is realized, for example, by the CPU 501 of the consumables management server 105 executing a program.

[0069] The CPU 501 determines whether or not remaining ink level information has been received from the printing device management server 105 (S1101). The process of S1101 is repeated until it is determined that remaining ink level information has been received. If it is determined that remaining ink level information has been received, the CPU 501 performs the following process for each order ID included in the received remaining ink level information (S1102). That is, the processes of S1102 to S1106 are repeatedly executed for the number of ink cartridges of multiple ink colors.

[0070] 6, the CPU 501 acquires the remaining ink amount threshold corresponding to the order ID (S1103). Then, the CPU 501 determines whether the remaining ink amount is below the threshold (S1104). If it is determined that the remaining ink amount is below the threshold (less than the threshold), the CPU 501 transmits the serial ID, ink color, order ID, remaining ink amount information, and a notification flag indicating that the user will be notified via the audio device 104 to the audio device management server 103 (S1105).

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined in S1104 that the remaining ink amount is not below the threshold (is equal to or greater than the threshold), the CPU 501 transmits the serial ID, ink color, order ID, and remaining ink amount information to the audio device management server 103 (S1106). At this time, a notification flag indicating that the user should not be notified via the audio device 104 may be transmitted.

[0072] The above process is repeated the number of times equal to the number of order IDs (number of ink cartridges) included in the remaining ink information received from the printing device management server 105. When the process has been completed for all order IDs, the process of FIG. 11 ends.

[0073] [Voice notification processing and order processing] Next, a process flow from when the audio device management server 103 notifies the user that the remaining amount of ink is low to when it instructs the consumables management server 102 to place an order will be described with reference to FIG.

[0074] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a sequence in which the audio device management server 103 notifies the user of a low ink level via an audio device and instructs the consumables management server 102 to place an order.

[0075] First, the audio device management server 103 receives the serial ID, ink color, order ID, and remaining ink information from the consumables management server 102. The audio device management server 103 then stores the received information as remaining ink information for the ink cartridge of the corresponding ink color in the printing device 106 with the corresponding serial ID (S1201). Note that if remaining ink information has already been stored, it is updated with the new remaining ink information received in S1201. The remaining ink information stored in S1201 may be used for display data indicating the remaining ink value of the printing device 106, which the user can check on the terminal device 101, and may be transmitted to the terminal device 101.

[0076] If the remaining ink information received from the consumables management server 102 includes a notification flag indicating that the user should be notified, the audio device management server 103 creates message data to notify the user via the audio device 104 (S1202). Then, the audio device management server 103 transmits the created message data to the audio device 104 (S1203). For example, message data is created to notify a message such as "The remaining ink of ~ is low. Would you like to purchase more?" Based on the ink color information received from the consumables management server 102, a notification word such as "cyan" is inserted in the "~" portion.

[0077] The voice device 104 holds the message data transmitted from the voice device management server 103. Then, the user inquires about the notification content by speaking to the voice device 104, for example, "What is the notification?" (S1204). When the inquiry is made, the voice device 104 reproduces the message by outputting the message from the speaker 301 based on the held message data (S1205).

[0078] The user who has heard the message speaks a voice instruction, for example, "Buy cyan" in response to the message played in S1205 (S1206). The voice device 104 transmits voice data indicating the contents of the user's speech inputted by voice through the microphone 304 to the voice device management server 103 (S1207).

[0079] The voice device management server 103 converts the voice data indicating the contents of the user's speech into text using ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) processing. Then, the voice device management server 103 determines an action to be taken using NLU (Natural Language Understanding) processing based on the text data. For example, in the case of text data instructing the purchase of cyan, the voice device management server 103 determines an order instruction process for cyan as the action to be taken. Then, the voice device management server 103 transmits an order instruction for, for example, a cyan ink tank together with the order ID to the consumables management server 102 (S1208).

[0080] The consumables management server 102 identifies the product code of the corresponding ink from the consumables information 600 in Fig. 6 based on the order ID transmitted in S1208, and executes the order process (S1209). Note that the order process may be executed within the consumables management server 102, or an order may be issued to an external sales site.

[0081] In the present embodiment, a flow has been described in which, when the remaining ink level falls below a threshold, an inquiry is made to the user via the voice device 104, and if the user issues an order, an ink cartridge of the corresponding ink color is ordered. Here, the user may set up automatic ordering in advance on the terminal device 101. If automatic ordering is enabled, steps S1202 to S1207 are skipped in the sequence of FIG. 12. In that case, the voice device management server 103 may create message data such as "You have ordered a cyan ink cartridge" and send it to the voice device 104. With such a configuration, the user can be made aware that the order has been automatically placed.

[0082] As described above, in this embodiment, the printing device management server 105 allows the audio device management server 103 to manage the printing device 106 by having the target printing device 106 registered in the audio device management server 103. When the remaining ink level is low, an inquiry is made to the user of the terminal device 101 via the audio device 104, and new ink cartridges can be ordered by the consumables management server 102, either at the user's instruction or automatically.

[0083] [Printing device information deletion process] Next, the process of deleting information about a printing device will be described. When multiple printing devices are managed by one logged-in user of the printing device management server 105, the logged-in user may delete any of the printing devices. In that case, the printing device will no longer be managed by the printing device management server 105. Below, the process of deleting information about a printing device 106 from the audio device management server 103 when the logged-in user deletes the printing device 106 from the printing device management server 105 will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

[0084] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for deleting, from the audio device management server 103, information about the printing device 106 that was deleted by the printing device management server 105. The process in FIG. 13 is realized, for example, by the CPU 501 of the audio device management server 103 executing a program.

[0085] The CPU 501 acquires information, such as serial IDs, of all printing devices 106 registered in the database 513 (S1301). The following process is performed for each acquired serial ID (S1302). That is, the process of S1302 to S1306 is repeated the number of times corresponding to the acquired serial IDs.

[0086] The CPU 501 uses the first authentication information to inquire about the registered printing device 106 from the printing device management server 105 based on the acquired serial ID of the printing device 106 (S1303). Upon receiving the inquiry, the printing device management server 105 checks whether the printing device 106 with the corresponding serial ID exists as a registered printing device in the printing device management server 105, and transmits the result to the audio device management server 103.

[0087] Based on the result sent from the printing device management server 105, the audio device management server 103 determines whether the printing device 106 with the corresponding serial ID exists as a printing device registered in the printing device management server 105 (S1304). If it is determined that the printing device 106 exists, the audio device management server 103 instructs the printing device management server 105 to send remaining ink information of the printing device 106 with the corresponding serial ID to the consumables management server 102 (S1305). Upon receiving the instruction, the printing device management server 105 inquires of the printing device 106 about the remaining ink amount, and executes the process of FIG. 10. Here, it is also possible to send remaining ink information previously received in S1001 and stored in the printing device management server 105 to the consumables management server 102 without inquiring of the remaining ink amount to the printing device 106. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1304 that the serial ID does not exist, the audio device management server 103 deletes the information about the printing device 106 with that serial ID from the database 513 (S1306).

[0088] The above process is repeated for the number of serial IDs obtained. When the process has been performed for all serial IDs, the process of FIG. 13 ends. The process of FIG. 13 may be performed at a predetermined frequency, for example, at a predetermined time of day. With such a configuration, the information of the printing device 106 registered in the audio device management server 103 and the information of the printing device 106 registered in the printing device management server 105 can be synchronized at an appropriate timing.

[0089] <Other embodiments> 10, when the printing device management server 105 receives remaining ink level information from the printing device 106, it transmits the remaining ink level information of all ink colors corresponding to the serial ID to the consumables management server 102. However, the remaining ink level information may be transmitted by other configurations.

[0090] For example, the consumables information 700 of Fig. 7 held by the printing device management server 105 may include the threshold value 604 of the consumables information of Fig. 6. Then, after S1003 of Fig. 10, it is determined whether the remaining ink level corresponding to each order ID has fallen below the threshold value 604. In other words, the printing management server 105 itself may perform the ink level threshold determination. Then, in S1004, only the remaining ink level information determined to be below the threshold value 604 is sent to the consumables management server 102. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the frequency of transmissions to the consumables management server 102 and suppress communication traffic on the network.

[0091] 10, the remaining ink amount corresponding to each order ID may be compared with the remaining ink amount received in the previous step S1001 to determine the amount of decrease. As a result of this determination, only the remaining ink amount determined to have decreased by a predetermined amount is transmitted to the consumables management server 102 in S1004. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the frequency of transmissions to the consumables management server 102 and suppress communication traffic on the network.

[0092] Also, when the frequency of transmission to the consumables management server 102 is reduced as described above, the consumables management server 102 may perform only the process of S1105 in the process of S1102 and thereafter in FIG. 11 without performing the processes of S1103, S1104, and S1106. Also, the printing device management server 105 may be able to select the transmission mode of whether to transmit remaining ink amount information of all ink colors from the printing device management server 105 or to configure the transmission frequency to be reduced as described above. In this case, the printing device management server 105 transmits information regarding which transmission mode has been selected to the consumables management server 102. The consumables management server 102 controls the execution of the processes of S1103, S1104, and S1106 in FIG. 11 according to the selected transmission mode.

[0093] Furthermore, the remaining ink level information that the printing device management server 105 sends to the consumables management server 102 may be a statistical value (e.g., an average value) of the remaining ink level information acquired multiple times from the printing device 106 in S1001 of Fig. 10. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determination when comparing with the threshold value.

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment too, a consumables management system can be realized that enables voice notifications based on consumables information of printing devices managed by the printing device management server 105, and ordering of consumables based on the remaining amount of consumables.

[0095] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0096] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 101 terminal device: 102 consumables management server: 103 audio device management server: 104 audio device: 105 printing device management server: 106 printing device: 202, 302, 405, 501 CPU

Claims

1. 1. A system capable of obtaining information about a printing device and communicating with an audio device, the system comprising: at least one server; The at least one server an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the remaining amount of a consumable item of the printing device at a specific timing not depending on a voice inquiry of a user; a control means for controlling, based on information on the remaining amount of a consumable of the printing device acquired by the acquisition means, when a predetermined condition corresponding to the remaining amount of the consumable of the printing device being low is satisfied, to transmit predetermined information for a specific notification corresponding to the remaining amount of the consumable of the printing device being low to the audio device; A system comprising:

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls the specified information to be transmitted to the voice device when the specified conditions are met, even without a voice inquiry from the user.

3. The system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the specific timing is at least one of the timing when a printing process is executed on the printing device, the timing when the at least one server obtains information indicating the remaining amount of a consumable from the printing device, and a predetermined time.

4. The system described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control means does not control the transmission of the specified information to the audio device if the remaining amount of consumables in the printing device does not satisfy the specified condition.

5. 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control for transmitting the predetermined information to the audio device is control for transmitting specific information to an audio device management server.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the specific information is information representing a notification to a user via the audio device.

7. The system described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, based on the reception of the specific information by the voice device management server, the specified information indicating a message for the specific notification is sent from the voice device management server to the voice device.

8. The system described in claim 7, characterized in that after the specified information is received by the voice device, in response to a voice inquiry from a user to the voice device, a message indicated by the specified information is output by voice from the voice device.

9. The system described in claim 8, characterized in that in response to the message being outputted from the voice device, a voice instruction from the user to order a consumable is received by the voice device, and then an ordering process for the consumable is performed based on that.

10. 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition that a remaining amount of a consumable falls below a threshold value.

11. 11. The system according to claim 1, wherein information on an account of a voice control service provided by a voice device management server is associated in advance with information on the printing device.

12. 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the consumable item is at least one of ink and paper.

13. 1. A method implemented in a system including at least one server capable of obtaining information about a printing device and capable of communicating with an audio device, comprising: In the at least one server, an acquisition step of acquiring information regarding a remaining amount of a consumable item of the printing device at a specific timing not depending on a voice inquiry of a user; a control step of controlling, based on information on the remaining amount of a consumable of the printing device acquired in the acquisition step, when a predetermined condition corresponding to the remaining amount of the consumable of the printing device being low is satisfied, the predetermined information for making a specific notification corresponding to the remaining amount of the consumable of the printing device being low is transmitted to the audio device; The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. 12. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of said at least one server included in the system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. 12. A storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of said at least one server included in the system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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